The Future of the Purple Line

Debate summary

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The Maryland Public Policy Institute and partners will host a nonpartisan debate on the proposed Purple Line and its alternatives on March 2 in Silver Spring. Larry Hogan’s election as Governor of Maryland fundamentally altered policymaking in Maryland and transportation policy will be no exception. Governor Hogan won in part by promising to rein in government spending and eliminate programs he deemed wasteful. Observers now question whether the Hogan Administration will move forward with construction on the Purple Line, a proposed $2.43 billion light rail extending from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. Despite including small funding for the project in his first budget proposal, Governor Hogan has refused to commit to the project over the long term. The debate will examine whether the Purple Line is the best way to reduce road congestion, achieve its ridership goals, and whether it is the most cost effective way to spend transportation dollars.